The Negev: A Community's Failure to Thrive but a Potential Model for Regional Advocacy

The Negev, Israel's vast arid desert region with less than 10% of the population, occupies nearly two-thirds of the country's land mass. Once considered essential for Israel's development, the region now suffers from neglect. A "New Negev" is discussed here based on regional advocacy that will provide the indigenous population greater involvement and control over funding resources and policy and program decision making. This approach has implications for other regions, such as the Galilee in northern Israel, that suffer from a similar lack of development.